When Rebecca Eanes had her second son, her oldest had just passed his second birthday. As is the case in many families, when the new stranger arrived on the scene, wrapped in blankets and capturing the attention and admiration of all of his favorite people, Rebecca’s firstborn began to act out.

I was helping my fifth grader with a history project a few nights ago when we made a fascinating discovery. As we researched the Native American people indigenous to our area for the presentation he was working on, we stumbled on a wild story that left us both aghast.

Long story short, way back in 1899, the city of Seattle wanted to be known as the “Gateway to Alaska”. So, in order to establish a landmark that perpetuated this title, a group of businessmen sailed to Alaska, where they found a 60-foot totem pole in a Tlingit village. Assuming the village had been abandoned (the people were actually only temporarily away for the summer fishing and cannery season) the men cut down the pole, brought it to Seattle, and erected it in a prominent place in town, where it became known as the Seattle Totem for the next 50 years.

For the past five years, I’ve been sharing some of my favorite books along with the perfect gifts to go with them. It really is one of my favorite recipes for gifts for children: 1 great book + 1 fun toy = sure-fire winner with loads of use!